Piezoelectric device

ABSTRACT

A piezoelectric device that includes: a diaphragm; a supporting part configured to support at least a portion of an end of the diaphragm; a piezoelectric film disposed along a portion supported by the supporting part on the diaphragm, a width of the film along the supported portion being narrower than a width of the portion; a lower electrode disposed at a face of the piezoelectric film on a diaphragm side; and an upper electrode disposed on a face of the piezoelectric film on an opposite side to the diaphragm.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 15/173,810, filed Jun. 6, 2016, which is a continuation of PCT/JP2014/081018 filed Nov. 25, 2014, which claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/098,630 filed Dec. 6, 2013, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present invention relates to piezoelectric devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic apparatuses such as cellular phones may be mounted with a plurality of microphones. For instance, a cellular phone may be provided with a microphone for detecting ambient sound (environmental sound) for a purpose of noise canceling in addition to a microphone for detecting a transmission voice during a call. As more and more electronic apparatuses are mounted with a plurality of microphones, downsizing of microphones is increasingly demanded.

Against a background like this, in recent years, a microphone manufactured using a micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology (hereinafter, referred to as a MEMS microphone) has been drawing an attention (for instance, Patent Publication JP 2004-506394 A).

In mounting a microphone onto an electronic apparatus, not only downsizing of a microphone but also sensitivity enhancement of the microphone is required. Sensitivity enhancement is required also for a MEMS microphone.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to enhance the sensitivity of a MEMS microphone.

A piezoelectric device related to one aspect of the present invention includes: a diaphragm; a supporting part configured to support at least a part of an end of the diaphragm; a piezoelectric film disposed on the diaphragm along a portion supported by the supporting part, a width of the film along the supported portion being narrower than a width of the portion; a lower electrode disposed on a surface of a diaphragm side of the piezoelectric film; and an upper electrode disposed on a face of the piezoelectric film on an opposite side to the diaphragm.

According to the present invention, the sensitivity of a MEMS microphone can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing an appearance of a piezoelectric device of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the piezoelectric device;

FIG. 3A is a view showing one example of a wiring of an electrode of the piezoelectric device;

FIG. 3B is a view showing another example of a wiring of an electrode of the piezoelectric device;

FIG. 3C is a view showing another example of a wiring of an electrode of the piezoelectric device;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing one example of a relation between a width of a piezoelectric part and voltage sensitivity;

FIG. 5 is a graph showing one example of a relation between a width of the piezoelectric part and generated energy;

FIG. 6 is a graph showing one example of a relation between temperature and Young's modulus;

FIG. 7 is a view showing another configuration example of the piezoelectric device;

FIG. 8 is a view showing another configuration example of the piezoelectric device;

FIG. 9 is a view showing one configuration example of a diaphragm in which a vicinity of a center thereof is made thin;

FIG. 10 is a view showing another configuration example of the piezoelectric device;

FIG. 11 is a view showing another configuration example of the piezoelectric device; and

FIG. 12 is a view showing another configuration example of the piezoelectric device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a view showing an appearance of a piezoelectric device of one embodiment of the present invention. A piezoelectric device 100 is a device for configuring a MEMS microphone that converts sound pressure into an electrical signal, and includes a diaphragm 110, a supporting part 111, and piezoelectric parts 112. The piezoelectric device 100 is divided into two by a minute slit 113 of about 1 μm or less wide for instance.

The diaphragm 110 is a thin film that vibrates due to sound pressure and can be formed of silicon (Si). The diaphragm 110 has a substantially rectangular shape, wherein lower parts of a facing set of sides 114 and 115 are supported by the supporting part 111. In other words, the diaphragm 110 has a both-end supported beam structure. It is beneficial that the diaphragm 110 is degenerate silicon, and has a function as a lower electrode of the piezoelectric part 112 as described later. What is called a degenerate silicon or degenerate semiconductor doped with a dopant in high concentration (1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ or over). To be more precise, by doping phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), or antimony (Sb) at a concentration of 1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ or over into Si as an n-type dopant (a donor), a degenerate semiconductor can be formed. A degenerate semiconductor may also be formed by doping a p-type dopant (an acceptor) into Si.

The piezoelectric parts 112 are disposed along the portion supported by the supporting part 111 on the diaphragm 110. As shown in FIG. 1, a width (A) of the piezoelectric part 112 (a width of a piezoelectric film 210 as described later) is narrower than a width (B) of the portion supported by the supporting part 111 on the diaphragm 110 (in other words, a width of the side 114). For instance, the width (A) of the piezoelectric part 112 may be about 100 μm, and the width (B) of the portion supported by the supporting part 111 on the diaphragm 110 may be about 300 μm. Although four piezoelectric parts 112 are disposed on the diaphragm 110 in the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the number of piezoelectric parts 112 is not limited to this. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, although ends of the piezoelectric parts 112 are disposed on the sides 114 and 115, ends may be disposed separately from the sides 114 and 115.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the piezoelectric device 100 at a line X-Y shown in FIG. 1. The supporting part 111 includes a substrate 200 and an insulating layer 201.

The substrate 200 is formed of silicon (Si) for instance. The insulating layer 201 is formed of silicon oxide (SiO₂) for instance. The diaphragm 110 is formed on the supporting part 111 formed in this manner.

Each of the piezoelectric parts 112 disposed along the portion supported by the supporting part 111 on the diaphragm 110 includes a piezoelectric film 210, an upper electrode 211, and wirings 212 and 213.

The piezoelectric film 210 is disposed on the diaphragm 110 so as to be vibrated in association with vibration of the diaphragm 110. The piezoelectric film 210 is a thin film of a piezoelectric body that converts force applied by the vibration to voltage, and is formed of scandium doped aluminum nitride (ScAlN) for instance. ScAlN is formed by substituting a part of aluminum (Al) in aluminum nitride (AlN) with scandium (Sc). For instance, ScAlN used for the piezoelectric film 210 may be formed by substituting Al with Sc so that Sc becomes about 40 atom % when atomic concentration that is a sum of the number of Al atoms and the number of Sc atoms is assumed to be 100 atom %. The thickness of the piezoelectric film 210 may be about 500 nm for instance. A ratio of a width (D) of a vibration portion of the piezoelectric film 210 to a width (C) from a center of the diaphragm 110 to the supporting part 111 may be about 40% for instance. The width (C) may be about 300 μm and the width (D) may be about 120 μm for instance.

The upper electrode 211 is disposed on an upper side of the piezoelectric film 210. The upper electrode 211 is a metal electrode and may be formed of aluminum (Al) for instance, and may have a thickness of about 50 nm. The upper electrode 211 may have tensile stress. Since the piezoelectric film 210 formed of ScAlN has a compressive stress, by allowing the upper electrode 211 to have a tensile stress, a stress at the piezoelectric part 112 is corrected and a deformation of the diaphragm 110 can be suppressed.

The wiring 212 is electrically coupled to the upper electrode 211. The wiring 213 is electrically coupled to the lower electrode (the diaphragm 110). The wirings 212 and 213 are formed by using gold (Au), platinum (Pt), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), or the like for instance.

In the piezoelectric device 100 of the configuration described above, the piezoelectric film 210 vibrates in association with a vibration of the diaphragm 110 caused by sound pressure. Voltage corresponding to the vibration of the piezoelectric film 210 is output through the wirings 212 and 213 of the piezoelectric body 112. As shown in FIG. 1, four piezoelectric bodies 112 are provided in the piezoelectric device 100. The four piezoelectric bodies 112 can be electrically coupled in parallel as shown in FIG. 3A for instance. The coupling shown in FIG. 3A is just an example and a form of coupling of the piezoelectric bodies 112 is not limited to this. According to exemplary aspects, the four piezoelectric bodies 112 can be electrically coupled in series for instance. Alternatively, the four piezoelectric bodies 112 can be electrically coupled in parallel and in series as shown in FIG. 3B and 3C for instance.

In the piezoelectric device 100, as shown in FIG. 1, the width (A) of the piezoelectric part 112 (the width of the piezoelectric film 210) is narrower than the width (B) of the portion supported by the supporting part 111 of the diaphragm 110 (in other words, the width of the side 114). Such a structure increases the stress applied to the piezoelectric part 112 by the vibration of the diaphragm 110 caused by sound pressure compared to the case where the piezoelectric part 112 has the same width as the diaphragm 110 (in other words, the width (A) of the piezoelectric part 112=the width (B) of the diaphragm 110). Consequently, the stress applied to a unit area of the piezoelectric part 112 becomes large, and the voltage sensitivity and the generated energy of the piezoelectric part 112 can be increased. In other words, sensitivity of the MEMS microphone configured by using the piezoelectric device 100 can be improved.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing one example of a relation between the width of the piezoelectric part 112 and the voltage sensitivity at the piezoelectric device 100. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents a ratio (%) of the width (A) of the piezoelectric part 112 to the width (B) of the diaphragm 110, and the vertical axis represents the voltage sensitivity (mV/Pa) showing output voltage (mV) per sound pressure (Pa) at the piezoelectric part 112. As shown in FIG. 4, the voltage sensitivity increases as the ratio of the width of the piezoelectric part 112 to that of the diaphragm 110 decreases. Accordingly, at the piezoelectric device 100 of the embodiment, the voltage sensitivity can be improved.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing one example of a relation between the width of the piezoelectric part 112 and the generated energy. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the ratio (%) of the width (A) of the piezoelectric part 112 to the width (B) of the diaphragm 110, and the vertical axis represents the generated energy (fJ/Pa) per sound pressure at the piezoelectric part 112. As shown in FIG. 5, the generated energy increases as the ratio of the width of the piezoelectric part 112 to that of the diaphragm 110 decreases. Accordingly, at the piezoelectric device 100 of the embodiment, the generated energy can be enlarged.

When the width of the piezoelectric part 112 becomes narrow, a capacitance value of the piezoelectric part 112 becomes small. When the capacitance value becomes small, impedance mismatching with an amplifier circuit may be likely to occur due to an impedance increase, or an influence of parasitic capacitance may be likely to become large. Therefore, the width (A) of the piezoelectric part 112 is determined by taking account of a trade-off between improvement of the voltage sensitivity and an increase in the impedance and such.

When Young's modulus of the diaphragm 110 changes with temperature, the voltage sensitivity of the piezoelectric device 100 also changes. In this respect, in the embodiment, since the diaphragm 110 is formed of a degenerate semiconductor, a change of Young's modulus of the diaphragm 110 with temperature can be suppressed. In other words, a change of the voltage sensitivity of the piezoelectric device 100 can be suppressed.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing one example of a relation between temperature and Young's modulus. In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis represents temperature (° C.) and the vertical axis represents Young's modulus (GPa). In FIG. 6, four temperature characteristics (P1) to (P4) of the diaphragm 110 with different doping concentrations are shown. P1 in FIG. 6 shows a temperature characteristic when nothing is doped into Si. P2 in FIG. 6 shows a temperature characteristic when an n-type dopant is doped into Si at a concentration of 1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³. P3 in FIG. 6 shows a temperature characteristic when the n-type dopant is doped into Si at a concentration of 5×10¹⁹ cm⁻³. P4 in FIG. 6 shows a temperature characteristic when the n-type dopant is doped into Si at a concentration of 8×10¹⁹ cm⁻³. As shown in FIG. 6, in comparison with Young's modulus in a case P1 where nothing is doped into Si, by making the doping concentration in Si 1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ or more, in other words, by making Si into a degenerate semiconductor, the change in Young's modulus due to temperature change can be suppressed. With the diaphragm 110 being formed of a degenerate semiconductor, the change of the voltage sensitivity of the piezoelectric device 100 can be suppressed.

FIG. 7 is a view showing another configuration example of the piezoelectric device. As for the same components as those of the piezoelectric device 100 shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given and descriptions are omitted. As shown in FIG. 7, in the piezoelectric device 700, lower parts of all sides 710 to 713 of the diaphragm 110 are supported by the supporting part 111. In other words, the diaphragm 110 has an entire circumference supported beam structure. A configuration of a cross-section at an X-Y line shown in FIG. 7 is equivalent to the configuration shown in FIG. 2.

The piezoelectric device 100 shown in FIG. 1 has the both-end supported beam structure, wherein the diaphragm 110 is provided with the slit 113. For that reason, in the piezoelectric device 100, while the diaphragm 110 is easily bendable and the voltage sensitivity can be improved, the diaphragm 110 may be deformed due to stresses of the piezoelectric films 210 and the upper electrodes 211, which may change an amount of sound leakage from the slit 113 and may cause variations in the voltage sensitivity. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 7, the piezoelectric device 700 is not provided with the slit 113 of the piezoelectric device 100. Therefore, in the piezoelectric device 700, no sound leakage from the slit occurs and the variations in the voltage sensitivity can be suppressed.

FIG. 8 is a view showing another configuration example of the piezoelectric device. As for the same components as those of the piezoelectric device 100 shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given and descriptions are omitted. As shown in FIG. 8, in a piezoelectric device 800, a slit 810 is provided along a substantial center line 810 substantially parallel to the sides 114 and 115 supported by the supporting part 111 in addition to the slit 113. The diaphragm 110 is divided into four by the slits 113 and 810. In other words, the diaphragm 110 has a cantilever structure. By making the diaphragm 110 the cantilever structure, the diaphragm 110 becomes more flexible than in the case of the piezoelectric device 100 shown in FIG. 1, and the voltage sensitivity can be improved.

FIG. 9 is a view showing one configuration example in which a vicinity of a center of the diaphragm 110 is made thin in the piezoelectric device 100 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 9, a thickness of a region 901 in the vicinity of the center of the diaphragm 110 can be formed thinner than a thickness of a region 900 of the diaphragm 110, where the piezoelectric film 210 is disposed. In this manner, by thinning the thickness of the region 901 in the vicinity of the center of the diaphragm 110, the diaphragm 110 is made to be easily bendable, and the voltage sensitivity can be improved. Since the piezoelectric device 800 shown in the FIG. 8 is not provided with the slit 810, the deformation of the diaphragm 110 is suppressed, and the variations in the voltage sensitivity are suppressed.

Changing the thickness of the region 900 in the diaphragm 110, where the piezoelectric film 210 is disposed, changes a state of expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric film 210 resulting from the vibration of the diaphragm 110 and changes voltage output characteristics of the piezoelectric part 112. More specifically, thinning the thickness of the region 900 in the diaphragm 110, where the piezoelectric film 210 is disposed, when the piezoelectric film 210 bends downwardly for instance, may increase an amount of contraction of an under side of the piezoelectric film 210, may cancel out voltage output resulting from expansion of an upper side of the piezoelectric film 210, and may reduce the output voltage from the piezoelectric part 112. For this reason, thinning only the region 901 in a vicinity of a center without changing the thickness of the region 900 can improve the voltage sensitivity without influencing the voltage output characteristics of the piezoelectric part 112.

Not only in the configuration shown in FIG. 1 but also in the configurations shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a region in the vicinity of the center of the diaphragm 110 may be thinned.

FIG. 10 is a view showing another configuration example of the piezoelectric device. As for the same components as those of the piezoelectric device 100 shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given and descriptions are omitted. As shown in FIG. 10, the diaphragm 110 has a substantially circular shape in a piezoelectric device 1000. In this case also, the width (A) of the piezoelectric part 112 is made narrower than the width (B) of the portion supported by supporting part 111 in the diaphragm 110 of the piezoelectric part 112. In this manner, the diaphragm 110 may have not only a substantially rectangular shape but also an arbitrary shape. Although four piezoelectric parts 112 are disposed on the diaphragm 110 in FIG. 10, the number of the piezoelectric parts 112 is not limited to this but may be any number. For instance, as shown in FIG. 11 three piezoelectric parts 112 may be disposed on the diaphragm 110 having a substantially circular shape.

FIG. 12 is a view showing another configuration example of the piezoelectric device. As for the same components as those of the piezoelectric device 100 shown in FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are given and descriptions are omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the diaphragm 110 is used as a lower electrode of the piezoelectric part 112 in the piezoelectric device 100. On the other hand, in a piezoelectric device shown in FIG. 12, a lower electrode 1210 is provided separately from the diaphragm 110. The lower electrode 1210 is a metal electrode and may be formed of aluminum (Al) for instance, and may have a thickness of about 50 nm.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. According to the embodiments, the piezoelectric device is formed so that the width (A) of the piezoelectric part 112 is narrower than the width (B) of the portion supported by the supporting part 111 in the diaphragm 110. This increases a stress applied to a unit area of the piezoelectric part 112, and enables enhancement of the voltage sensitivity and the generated energy in the piezoelectric part 112. In other words, the sensitivity of a MEMS microphone configured by using the piezoelectric device 100 can be improved.

According to the embodiment, the diaphragm 110 can be formed of a degenerate semiconductor. Thereby, variations in the Young's modulus of the diaphragm 110 with temperature can be suppressed, and variations in the voltage sensitivity of the piezoelectric device with temperature can be suppressed.

According to the embodiment, the diaphragm 110 formed of a degenerate semiconductor can be used as a lower electrode of the piezoelectric part 112. Thereby, the piezoelectric device 100 can be downsized as compared with a case where the lower electrode is formed separately from the diaphragm 110.

According to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, making the diaphragm 110 have the both-end supported beam structure makes it possible to make the diaphragm 110 easily bendable and to improve the voltage sensitivity of the piezoelectric device.

According to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, when making the diaphragm 110 have the both-end supported beam structure, the substantial center line 810 substantially parallel to the sides 114 and 115 of the supporting part 111 makes the diaphragm 110 have a separate configuration, thereby, making the diaphragm 110 more bendable and being able to improve the voltage sensitivity of the piezoelectric device.

According to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, making the diaphragm 110 have the entire circumference supported beam structure makes it possible to suppress the deformation of the diaphragm 110 and to suppress the variations in the voltage sensitivity caused by the deformation of the diaphragm 110.

According to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, making the region 901 in the vicinity of the center of the diaphragm 110 thin makes it possible to make the diaphragm 110 more bendable and to improve the voltage sensitivity of the piezoelectric device.

According to the embodiment, it is possible to make the upper electrode 211 formed at an upper side of the piezoelectric film 210 having a compressive stress have a tensile stress. Thereby, the stress at the piezoelectric part 112 is corrected, and the deformation of the diaphragm 110 is suppressed.

The embodiment is for facilitating comprehension of the present invention, and not for comprehending by limiting the present invention. The present invention can be changed and/or improved without being deviated from the gist thereof. The present invention includes also equivalents thereof.

For instance, in the embodiment, although an example is described in which the piezoelectric device is used as a MEMS microphone by vibrating the diaphragm by sound pressure, uses of the piezoelectric device is not limited to this, and is usable for a sensor that detects vibration of a medium in the surrounding of the piezoelectric device. 

I (We) claim:
 1. A piezoelectric device comprising: a substrate; a plurality of transducer beams, each of the plurality of transducer beams comprising: a piezoelectric layer; a first electrode layer; and a second electrode layer, the first and second electrode layers sandwiching the piezoelectric layer, wherein each of the plurality of transducer beams have a beam base, a beam end, and a beam body between the beam base and the beam end, the plurality of transducer beams are connected in a cantilever arrangement over the substrate with each of the beam bases of the plurality of transducer beams attached to the substrate, and each of the beam ends of the plurality of transducer beams converge towards a single point such that at least two of the beam ends face each other and are separated by a gap.
 2. The piezoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein a width of the piezoelectric film is narrower than a width of the second electrode layer.
 3. The piezoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode layer is formed of a degenerate semiconductor.
 4. The piezoelectric device according to claim 1, further comprising a third electrode between the piezoelectric layer and the second electrode.
 5. The piezoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric film has a compressive stress, and the upper electrode has a tensile stress.
 6. The piezoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a supporting part and an insulating layer.
 7. The piezoelectric device according to claim 6, wherein the insulating layer is adjacent the beam bases of the plurality of transducer beams.
 8. The piezoelectric device according to claim 7, wherein the insulating layer is silicon oxide.
 9. The piezoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of transducer beams are electrically coupled in parallel to each other.
 10. The piezoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of transducer beams are electrically coupled in series to each other.
 11. The piezoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein a first set of the plurality of transducer beams are electrically coupled in parallel to each other, a second set of the plurality of transducer beams are electrically coupled in parallel to each other, and the first and second sets of the plurality of piezoelectric films are electrically coupled in series to each other.
 12. The piezoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein a first set of the plurality of transducer beams are electrically coupled in series to each other, a second set of the plurality of transducer beams are electrically coupled in series to each other, and the first and second sets of the plurality of transducer beams are electrically coupled in parallel to each other. 